Harry Thuillier

Harry Thuillier was a double Irish international at both fencing and table tennis. Thuillier made his Ireland début at table tennis in 1942 and was a regular in their team up to 1948. He was on their team that contested the Swaythling Cup at the 1947 World Championships. Thuillier was Irish singles champion in 1943 and 1944.

Despite his table tennis triumphs, Thuillier became better known as a fencer. He was the younger brother of Nick, a member of the first Irish fencing team to compete at the Olympics in 1948. Harry went one better than his sibling by appearing in two Olympics, 1952 and 1960. Harry was Ireland’s leading fencer in the 1950s and 1960s, and included in his total of 12 national foil titles were six individual titles 1953-56, 1958, 1960.

Thuillier later became a broadcaster with RTÉ (the national radio station of Ireland) and had his own sports magazine show. He suffered personal tragedy in December 1997 when his 33-year-old son Harry junior, a renowned photographer, was found dead in mysterious circumstances at Milano (Milan) railway station. It was later discovered he died of a heroin overdose. Eight months before his death, Thuillier’s wife Frankie dreamt of her son’s death.